Rosalind Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
by AlexisFaye
Summary: Sequel to Rosalind Potter and the Philosophers Stone.
1. Interlude 1

Rosalind Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

**I'll be having interludes in this story so the characters can do other things than just reading the story. The next chapter will be when they read the first chapter. **

Chapter One

A smile broke across Rosa's face as she threw herself at the middle figure. The others didn't have a clue to who this guy was but they recognized Oliver and Marcus. "Patrick!" Rosa yelled. They heard the guy chuckle and wrap his arms around her before giving her a quick kiss on the lips. Theo growled at this but no one but Blaise heard him.

"Hey Rosie," he said. He pulled back to look around and was met with unfamiliar faces. "So where am I?" Rosa grabbed his hand and began introducing everyone. When she came to Theo she spotted the look of jealousy on his face and she couldn't help but laugh.

She let go of Patrick's hand and walked over to him. "There's no reason to be jealous love," she said.

"So I'm supposed to be OK with some guy kissing you," he said sarcastically. Her smile widened.

"You don't have to worry about him. He bats for the other team." Recognition dawns over him and he slowly nods. Having fixed that Rosa turned back to face her friends and the new arrivals. That's when she noticed Marcus. Her eyes lit up again as she threw herself at him this time.

"Bubba!" Marcus rolled his eyes and opened his arms to catch her.

"Well hello lil sis," he chuckled. Oliver had been standing by and he put on a fake sad face.

"Oh what am I chop liver?" he asked. Rosa pulled away from him and walked up to pull him into a hug.

"Ollie!" the twins cheered. Rosa was barely able to dodge the twins and walk back over to Patrick. When the twins finally settled down and let Oliver go Marcus spoke up.

"So what are we doing here?" he asked. "How where are we?" Rosa figured it would be just easier if she let them read the first letter they were sent. So she walked over to where all the letters are put and grabbed it. After the three of them were finished Patrick turned to her.

"So I get to hear in detail what happened to you at Hogwarts?" he said. She nodded. Hermione blinked and looked at Rosa.

"You told him about Witches and Wizards?" she asked.

"But isn't he a Muggle?" Ron asked. Rosa sighed.

"Yes he's a Muggle but I did accidental magic around him and he figured it out." Dumbledore stood up.

"I was aware of the fact that Rosa's friends knew about Rosa being a witch," he said. "I didn't see any harm in it when I made sure that they wouldn't say anything." Mrs. Weasley gasped.

"You mean more than one knows about us?" she asked. Rosa narrowed her eyes at the way she spoke about her friends. She didn't like Mrs. Weasleys tone.

"I assure you they would have kept the secret," he said. "I believe a Mister. Arrington had an aunt who was a squib and already had knowledge about the wizarding world." Patrick and I perked up at this knowledge. Blaine had never mentioned it to either of us. Before anyone else could speak up there was another flash of light and a note appeared in front of Rosa.

She caught it as it made its descent.

_Dear friends,_

_We still have six more people who will be joining shortly. They will already be informed on what's going on and what has happened in the last book. I must also inform you that where you are residing has grown. _

_Several new rooms have been added for your enjoyment and comfort. A library, sports room, and music room along with extra rooms for the new arrivals. _

_Love, _

_Hermione_

Placing the note down there was another bright light and six figure dropped to the floor. This had to be the most ungraceful arrival Rosa had seen yet. Only three of her friends managed to land on her feet. Patrick and Rosa burst out laughing at them. The new arrivals stood up and wiped themselves off as they glared at them.

When Rosa finally calmed down enough to talk she began to introduce them. "Guys this is Patrick's and my friends. Chelo Caverly, Xander Tait, LeAnne Xanthe, Chase Mathews, Duke Elwood, and Blaine Arrington. They are the only reasons I was able to survive the summers at Private Drive."

Each and every one of their faces dropped at the reminder of that place. That was until Fred and George broke the tension. "Any friends of Rosa's are friends of ours!" Dumbledore stood up with a smile on his face or what Rosa assumed could be a smile. His beard twitched a little.

"We shall begin reading again tomorrow. For the rest of the day I would like you all to get to know each other." With those words Rosa brought her friends over to officially meet Theo, Ron, Hermione, and Marcus. It didn't take long for everyone to get comfortable around each other. If Rosa didn't know better she would have thought they had known each other for years by the way they clicked so fast.

The adults left one by one to go do their own thing. Soon the only ones left in the room were the teenagers. There were several small groups throughout the room with people joking around. Rosa watched from her spot next to Theo and smiled brightly about how well everyone was getting along. It was then that she remembered her plan on how to get Draco and Hermione together.

Grabbing Theo's hand she pulled him over to Blaise and then dragged them over to a secluded corner. "What did you find so important that you had to kidnap me?" Blaise asked sounding slightly annoyed. Rosa figured it was because she took him away from Luna who had been chatting with Blaine about Nargles.

"I want your help with getting Draco and Hermione together," she said. Blaise studied her and seemed to be going over it before he finally nodded.

"Fine but we start some other time because I am busy with trying to match make myself." Rosa rolled her eyes as she watched him walk off. She turned to Theo and raised an eyebrow.

"What about you?"

"I'm in," Theo said. "He's been madly in love with her since she punched him in third year." Rosa was surprised that he had liked her that long. As Theo and Rosa made their way back over to where everyone else was in the room she heard a shout of surprise and disgust from Chase.

"Rosa!" he yelled in horror. "These people don't know what basketball is! I'm simply offended that you never told them." Rosa once again found herself rolling her eyes.

"They're wizards Chase," she said slowly like she was talking to a child. "Of course they don't know what that is."

"This simply won't do!" he exclaimed. "We have to show them."

"I'm afraid that'll have to wait for another time," came Dumbledore's voice. Several people jumped in surprise. Mad Eye who was behind him yelled, "Constant Vigilance!" Dumbledore chuckled.

"Dinner is ready and then afterwards I suggest everyone go to bed," he said. "We'll be starting the readings early in the morning." Rosa picked a spot between Theo and Patrick. As they ate Patrick caught her up on what had been happening since she left. She learned that his younger brother Sebastian had be gone to talk and that his parents missed her.

She herself couldn't help but miss Bonnie and Derek, Patrick's parents. They had been loving toward her and thought of her as they're own daughter. It was Patrick's family that kept her going through the summers and before she had heard of Hogwarts.

Derek had been the one to teach her how to drive and planned on buying her a car when she got her license. Rosa spent most of her time over at the Millers and thought of them like family. Bonnie had been a mom toward Rosa and always made sure she had something on her birthday but made sure Rosa was able to hide it from the Dursleys. Most of the things that Rosa owned stayed at the Millers place so it didn't get thrown out or given to Dudley.

After dinner before she went to bed Rosa said goodnight to her friends and kissed Theo goodnight. When she entered the McGonagall was already in bed so Rosa quickly got ready for bed herself. From his corner in his tank Rosa heard Loki say goodnight.

Rosa felt herself slowly fall into a deep dreamless sleep.


	2. The Worst Birthday

Rosalind Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

**I am so sorry that it has taken me forever to update. I've just had horrible writers block and then my computer was messing up on me and I had to get it fixed. I'm still writing on this story and haven't abandoned it I a sure you. **

Chapter Two

**The Worst Birthday**

The next morning Rosa woke up not feeling as excited as she did yesterday. She hated that everyone was reading about her life and how a lot of her secrets were coming out. Getting up she changed into a black over the shoulder shirt with the peace sign on it with skinny jeans and a beanie.

She strode over to where Loki was lying in his tank and gently picked him up. "Good morning Loki," she said. Loki wrapped his self around her shoulders before speaking into her ear.

_"Good morning hatchling." _Rosa smiled as she walked out of the room and into the kitchen. It seemed she was one of the last ones up this morning. Patrick waved her over and she smiled at her friend before taking a seat next to him and LeAnne. Over breakfast Rosa and LeAnne caught up on what had happened over the last couple of months that she had been gone.

As soon as breakfast was over everyone went back to the living room to start reading again. As usual Rosa took her seat next to Theo but Patrick took the remaining seat next to her. Loki settled around her shoulders dangling from her neck. Dumbledore grabbed the book and looked to the group of people.

"Who would like to start?" he asked. Rose shrugged and raised her hand. She might as well do it. It's not like she had read yet anyway. Dumbledore happily glided the book over to her by using magic.

**"Rosalind Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," **she began. **"Chapter One: The Worst Birthday." **

Several people groaned. Of course with her luck it wouldn't be a good birthday. However Patrick frowned. "I thought your birthday had gone quite well," he said. Rosa turned slightly to look at him before speaking.

"Of course it did love," she said. "I think it's just referring to what happened after I left your house."

**"Not for the first time, an argument had broken out over breakfast at number four, Privet Drive. Mr. Vernon Dursley had been woken in the early hours of the morning by a loud, hissing noise from his niece Rosa's room.**

This confused everyone who knew that Loki was usually quite quiet. "Why was he making so much noise?" asked Remus. Rosa just sighed. She really hated this book and figured it was made purely for her torture.

**"Third time this week!" he roared across the table. "If you can't control that snake, it'll have to go!" Really she was amazed that they let her even keep him considering how Petunia was afraid of snakes. **

**Rosa tried, yet again, to explain.**

**"He's bored," she said. "He's used to being able to go outside. If I could just let him out at night -"**

"Animal cruelty," Tonks said. "Just another thing we can add onto their list. Really Rosa you can press charges against them. It's not like they don't deserve it." Rosa knew she was right and silently nodded.

Her aunt and uncle didn't deserve her forgiveness.

**"Do I look stupid?" snarled Uncle Vernon, a bit of fried egg dangling from his bushy mustache.**

"Is that a trick question?" smirked Fred.

"Cause I would say you do by the description," George finished. Rosa snorted. They were right. He had looked stupid.

**"I know what'll happen if that snake is let out." He exchanged dark looks with his wife, Petunia. Rosa tried to argue back but her words were drowned by a long, loud belch from the Dursleys' son, Dudley.**

A few people scrunched up their noses in disgust at that. 'They boy really needs to learn manners,' Molly thought.

**"I want more bacon."**

"That is no way to ask for seconds," Mrs. Weasley scolded. Rosa didn't have the heart to tell her that she was talking to a book so she kept quiet and began reading.

**"There's more in the frying pan, sweetums," said Aunt Petunia, turning misty eyes on her massive son. "We must build you up while we've got the chance… I don't like the sound of that school food…"**

"Build him up?" Patrick said looking incredulous. "I doubt they serve anything but healthy size portions at that school. All she's doing is making him worse." No body disagreed with him. Especially those who had met him before.

**"Nonsense, Petunia, I never went hungry when I was at Smeltings," said Uncle Vernon heartily. "Dudley gets enough, don't you, son?"**

A few people raised an eyebrow at that. They would have thought he would be on his wife's side.

**Dudley, who was so large his bottom drooped over either side of the kitchen chair, grinned and turned to Rosa.**

Several people looked disgusted by Rosa's description. "Why do you have to be so observant in times like these?" Chelo asked. "I could have gone without that description." Many of the others in the room nodded in agreement.

"Try living it," muttered Rosa.

**"Pass the frying pan."**

**"You've forgotten the magic word," said Rosa irritably.**

"That was rather dumb to say," winced Patrick. He knew how her family got about magic and even something as stupid as that would set them off he was sure.

**The effect of this simple sentence on the rest of the family was incredible: Dudley gasped and fell off his chair with a crash that shook the whole kitchen; Mrs. Dursley gave a small scream and clapped her hands to her mouth; Mr. Dursley jumped to his feet, veins throbbing in his temples.**

"What a bunch of drama queens," muttered Bill. "It's like she had told them to go out and slaughter the pig himself."

**"I meant 'please'!" said Rosa quickly. "I didn't mean —"**

**"WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU," thundered her uncle, spraying spit over the table, "ABOUT SAYING THE 'M' WORD IN OUR HOUSE?"**

Blaine cracked a smile at this. "The M word seriously?" he said. "You can't even say magic?"

"It's worse than a curse word in their books," Rosa said. Theo patted her leg and she smiled at him.

**"But I —"**

**"HOW DARE YOU THREATEN DUDLEY!" roared Uncle Vernon, pounding the table with his fist.**

"But you didn't threaten him!" Hermione said in outrage.

"It's not like you said you were going to hex him," Charlie said just as outraged as Hermione.

"Might as well have," Rosa grumbled.

**"I just —"**

**"I WARNED YOU! I WILL NOT TOLERATE MENTION OF YOUR ABNORMALITY UNDER THIS ROOF!" Rosa stared from her purple-faced uncle to her pale aunt, who was trying to heave Dudley to his feet.**

**"All right," said Rosa, "all right…"**

**Uncle Vernon sat back down, breathing like a winded rhinoceros and watching Rosa closely out of the corners of his small, sharp eyes.**

"They really are over dramatic," Remus said. "It's not like she's going to do anything."

**Ever since Rosa had come home for the summer holidays, Uncle Vernon had been treating her like a bomb that might go off at any moment, because Rosa Potter wasn't a normal girl. As a matter of fact, she was as not normal as it is possible to be. **

Several people smirked at her. "Who wants to be normal anyway?" Ginny asked.

"Exactly," Rosa said.

**Rosa Potter was a witch.**

"Surprise!" George exclaimed. "We finally know! Your secret is out."

"Good thing we're reading these books," Fred said. "I would never have figured that out." Rosa rolled her eyes at the prankster. 'Got to love them,' she thought.

"I'm sure it's in a different perspective now," Hermione said.

**— a witch fresh from her first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. And if the Dursleys were unhappy to have her back for the holidays, it was nothing to how Rosa felt. She missed Hogwarts so much it was like having a constant stomachache. She missed the castle, with its secret passageways and ghosts, her classes (though perhaps not Snape, the Potions master),**

"I don't actually mind potions," Rosa said. "It's one of my favorite classes until you start to treat the Gryffindor's unfairly."

Snape looked at her indifferently. "You can always drop potions in another year," he said. Rosa shrugged. She didn't see herself dropping the class anytime soon.

**the mail arriving by owl, eating banquets in the Great Hall, sleeping in her four-poster bed in the tower dormitory, visiting the gamekeeper, Hagrid, in his cabin next to the Forbidden Forest in the grounds, and, especially, Quidditch, the most popular sport in the wizarding world (six tall goal posts, four flying balls, and fourteen players on broomsticks).**

The Quidditch fanatics smiled in bliss at the thought of the sport.

**All Rosa's spell-books, her wand, robes, cauldron, and top-of-the-line Nimbus Two Thousand broomstick had been locked in a cupboard under the stairs by Uncle Vernon the instant Rosa had come home. That was of course followed by a long beating that left Rosa so sore she could hardly move for two days.**

Sirius glared murderously at the book. Oh how he would love to kill the Dursleys for what they have done to his goddaughter.

Remus wasn't far behind in that department.

**What did the Dursleys care if Rosa lost her place on the House Quidditch team because she hadn't practiced all summer?**

Oliver frowned at that. "I wouldn't have let you be replaced Rosa," he said. "You're the best Seeker we've had in years. Our ticket to winning every game." Rosa rolled her eyes at the Quidditch captain but smiled nevertheless. She was happy to know that he wouldn't have replaced her.

**What was it to the Dursleys if Rosa went back to school without any of her homework done? The Dursleys were what wizards and witches called Muggles (not a drop of magical blood in their veins), and as far as they were concerned, having a witch in the family was a matter of deepest shame. Uncle Vernon had even padlocked Rosa's snake, Loki, inside his cage, only letting it be opened for when she was to feed him. Every time she was allowed to do this she apologized for having him being locked up all the time.**

"He should have let him out every now and then," Charlie grumbled. Loki hissed in appreciation toward the male.

**Rosa looked nothing like the rest of the family.**

"Thank Merlin for that," Rosa said while several others agreed with her.

**Uncle Vernon was large and neck-less, with an enormous black mustache; Aunt Petunia was horse-faced and bony; Dudley was blond, pink, and porky. **

**Rosa, on the other hand, was small and skinny, with brilliant green eyes and jet-black hair that was always untidy, that went down to her thin waist. On her forehead was a thin, lightning-shaped scar.**

"So beautiful," Theo muttered low enough for only her to hear. Rosa smiled up at him before beginning to read again.

**It was this scar that made Rosa so particularly unusual, even for a witch. This scar was the only hint of Rosa's very mysterious past, of the reason she had been left on the Dursleys' doorstep eleven years before. At the age of one year old, Rosa had somehow survived a curse from the greatest Dark sorcerer of all time,**

"Or jackass," Sirius said. "Either one works fine." Rosa snorted at this and shook her head. Leave it to her godfather to say something like that.

**Lord Voldemort, whose name most witches and wizards still feared to speak. Rosa's parents had died in Voldemort's attack, but Rosa had escaped with her lightning scar, and somehow — nobody understood why —Voldemort's powers had been destroyed the instant he had failed to kill Rosa.**

"Some of us would like to know why," muttered Rosa.

** So Rosa had been brought up by her dead mother's sister and her husband. She had spent ten years with the Dursleys, never understanding why she kept making odd things happen without meaning to, believing the Dursleys' story that she had got her scar in the car crash that had killed her parents.**

This caused another round of growls throughout the room. They couldn't believe that the Dursley's would say that. The few that didn't growl looked saddened.

"Do we really need a reminder of how your parents died?" Ginny said. Several people agreed with her.

**And then, exactly a year ago, Hogwarts had written to Rosa, and the whole story had come out. Rosa had taken up her place at a wizard and witches school, where she and her scar were famous… but now the school year was over, and she was back with the Dursleys for the summer, back to being treated like a dog that had rolled in something smelly.**

"I take offence to that," Sirius said. Remus laughed loudly and rolled his eyes.

"We still love you anyway Padfoot," he said.

**The Dursleys hadn't even remembered that today happened to be Rosa's twelve birthday. Though she could always be wrong and uncle Vernon could come and punch her a few times. It was his way of celebrating her birthday.**

"I swear if they touch you I'll kill them," Theo threatened. Rosa ignored the threat and grabbed his hand and held the book with her other hand.

Several other people seemed to be in agreement with him. Rosa really wished she could find a way to make all the bad things disappear. This would be so much easier to read but she figured if that happened there wouldn't be much to read about anyway.

**Of course, her hopes hadn't been high; they'd never given her a real present, let alone a cake — but to ignore it completely… unless for the beating session occasionally on her birthday. **

**At that moment, Uncle Vernon cleared his throat importantly and said, "Now, as we all know, today is a very important day." Rosa looked up, hardly daring to believe it.**

LeAnne gave her a sad look. "I wouldn't believe it," she said with a shake of her head.

**"This could well be the day I make the biggest deal of my career," said Uncle Vernon.**

Sirius scowled and glanced over at his goddaughter. "Of course his career is more important than your birthday." He slumped forward and buried his face in his hands. If only he hadn't gone after Wormtail then she would be with him and not those horrid people she calls relatives.

Remus saw his friend beating himself up and patted his shoulder trying to silently tell him it wasn't his fault.

**Rosa went back to her toast. Of course, she thought bitterly, Uncle Vernon was talking about the stupid dinner party. He'd been talking of nothing else for two weeks. Some rich builder and his wife were coming to dinner and Uncle Vernon was hoping to get a huge order from him (Uncle Vernon's company made drills).**

Several people sighed. If these Muggles were anything like the Dursleys they didn't want to read about them.

**"I think we should run through the schedule one more time," said Uncle Vernon. "We should all be in position at eight o'clock. Petunia, you will be —?"**

**"In the lounge," said Aunt Petunia promptly, "waiting to welcome them graciously to our home."**

"A schedule?" Draco said. "Seriously? Even my mother and father don't go that far." Sirius and Tonks had to agree with his cousin on that point.

**"Good, good. And Dudley?"**

**"I'll be waiting to open the door." Dudley put on a foul, simpering smile. "May I take your coats, Mr. and Mrs. Mason?"**

**"They'll love him!" cried Aunt Petunia rapturously.**

"Oh I'm sure they'll just love the sight," Neville said. "That's always what I want to see as soon as I enter a room." Rosa laughed along with everyone else who had heard him.

**Excellent, Dudley," said Uncle Vernon. Then he rounded on Rosa. "And you?"**

"Oh dear what did he make you do?" Charlie said.

**"I'll be in my bedroom, making no noise and pretending I'm not there," said Rosa tonelessly.**

"Better than being down there with them," Patrick hissed. "You could have always snuck over to my house doll." Rosa laughed.

"True," she said. "But then I would have missed something very interesting. Or have brought it over to your house which is a big no no." Hermione and Ron rolled their eyes at they're friend. How she could make light of a serious subject was beyond them but what they didn't know was that if she didn't she would probably go insane.

**"Exactly," said Uncle Vernon nastily. "I will lead them into the lounge, introduce you, Petunia, and pour them drinks. At eight-fifteen —"**

**"I'll announce dinner," said Aunt Petunia.**

"They even have times," Draco said in disgust.

"Wonder what would happen if they were late," snorted Fred in amusement.

"World would probably end as they knew it," George said.

**"And, Dudley, you'll say —"**

**"May I take you through to the dining room, Mrs. Mason?" said Dudley, offering his fat arm to an invisible woman.**

"This is really starting to become sickening," Draco said.

"Who would want him touching them?" Chelo said seriously.

**"My perfect little gentleman!" sniffed Aunt Petunia.**

**"And you?" said Uncle Vernon viciously to Rosa.**

**"I'll be in my room, making no noise and pretending I'm not there," said Rosa dully.**

"Do they really need to keep asking you?" Remus asked. "It's not like it's very hard to remember."

"Oh but Mooney it's a very important role," Sirius said sarcastically.

**"Precisely. Now, we should aim to get in a few good compliments at dinner. Petunia, any ideas?"**

**"Vernon tells me you're a wonderful golfer, Mr. Mason… Do tell me where you bought your dress, Mrs. Mason…"**

**"Perfect… Dudley?"**

**"How about —'We had to write an essay about our hero at school, Mr. Mason, and I wrote about you.'"**

Blaise snorted. "Like that is even believable," he said. "Does he even know who the man is?"

"I would have asked to see it," Theo said.

"You would," Draco said.

"I would want to read this glorious report about me," Theo said with a smirk on his face.

**This was too much for both Aunt Petunia and Rosa. Aunt Petunia burst into tears and hugged her son, while Rosa ducked under the table so they wouldn't see her laughing.**

**"And you, girl?"**

Rosa flinched at the word. Oh how she hated hearing that dreadful word. "Does he even know your name?" Luna asked. Rosa shrugged. She wasn't sure if he did or not.

**Rosa fought to keep her face straight as she emerged. It wouldn't be good for her health if she was caught laughing at Dudley. "I'll be in my room, making no noise and pretending I'm not there," she said.**

"Is it really necessary for you to have to say it that many times?" Remus snarled. Rosa sighed and wished not for the first time that these books would just disappear.

"I'm pretty sure that was the last time," she said.

**"Too right, you will." said Uncle Vernon forcefully. "The Masons don't know anything about you and it's going to stay that way.**

"Yes because you wouldn't want anyone to know that you're an abusing monster," Theo snarled.

"And why not?" Blaise said sarcastically. "It's just an amazing quality."

**When dinner's over, you take Mrs. Mason back to the lounge for coffee, Petunia, and I'll bring the subject around to drills. With any luck, I'll have the deal signed and sealed before the news at ten. Be shopping for a vacation home in Majorca this time tomorrow."**

**Rosa couldn't feel too excited about this. She didn't think the Dursleys would like her any better in Majorca than they did on Privet Drive.**

"If they even let you go," Ron muttered darkly.

**"Right — I'm off into town to pick up the dinner jackets for Dudley and me. And you," he snarled at Rosa. "You stay out of your aunt's way while she's cleaning."**

"Because she really wanted to spend more time around her," LeAnne said sarcastically.

**Rosa left through the back door. It was a brilliant, sunny day. She crossed the lawn, slumped down on the garden bench, and sang under her breath: "Happy birthday to me… happy birthday to me…"**

Rosa really hated the pity looks she got from the others and wished they would stop. Patrick patted her knee and knew that he came into the story soon so it would get better.

**No cards, no presents from her friends from Hogwarts, and she would be spending the evening pretending not to exist. She gazed miserably into the hedge. She had never felt so lonely. More than anything else at Hogwarts, more even than playing Quidditch, Rosa missed her best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger.**

**They, however, didn't seem to be missing her at all. Neither of them had written to her all summer, even though Ron had said he was going to ask Rosa to come and stay.**

"Before anyone gets mad at them it explains why in the next chapter," she said quickly before people could start chewing her best friends out.

**Countless times, Rosa had been on the point of unlocking Loki's cage by magic and sending him to Ron and Hermione with a letter, (she knew that he would get it to them someway) but it wasn't worth the risk. Underage wizards and witches weren't allowed to use magic outside of school. Rosa hadn't told the Dursleys this; she knew it was only their terror that she might turn them all into dung beetles that stopped them from locking her in the cupboard under the stairs with her wand and broomstick. Of course uncle Vernon still hit her on occasion but she doubted she would be able to stop that. **

"Several people would have been able to stop that," Sirius said with a frown. Snape winced at the mention of her abuse. Oh how it reminded him of his own childhood. Guilt once again wracked his body for how he had treated her.

Patrick frowned right along with Sirius. "If you would have told dad about this he would have been able to stop it," he said. Rosa knew this but at the same time she was afraid they wouldn't have believed her. Instead of saying this she went back to reading.

**For the first couple of weeks back, Rosa had enjoyed muttering nonsense words under her breath and watching Dudley tearing out of the room as fast as his fat legs would carry him.**

Rosa smiled at the memory but winced when she remembered that every time Uncle Vernon had caught her she would be backhanded.

**But the long silence from Ron and Hermione had made Rosa feel so cut off from the magical world that even taunting Dudley had lost its appeal — and now Ron and Hermione had forgotten her birthday.**

Sirius and the others glared at Rosa's friends. All they knew was that they better have been a good reason for ignoring her. Hermione and Ron wanted to defend themselves but Rosa silenced them with a look.

It would all become clear soon enough.

**What wouldn't she give now for a message from Hogwarts? From any witch or wizard? She'd almost be glad of a sight of her arch-enemy, Draco Malfoy,**

Draco looked at her with mock hurt. "Arch-enemy?" he said. "I'm hurt." Rosa rolled her eyes.

"Like we were even friends back then."

**just to be sure it hadn't all been a dream ... Not that her whole year at Hogwarts had been fun.**

Several people winced at this reminder and Theo held onto Rosa's hand tighter in reassurance that she was fine.

**At the very end of last term, Rosa had come face-to-face with none other than Lord Voldemort himself. Voldemort might be a ruin of his former self, but he was still terrifying, still cunning, still determined to regain power. Rosa had slipped through Voldemort's clutches for a second time, but it had been a narrow escape, and even now, weeks later, Rosa kept waking in the night, drenched in cold sweat, wondering where Voldemort was now, remembering his livid face, his wide, mad eyes —**

Many tensed and wished she never had to go through that. No one especially an eleven year old girl should have to go through that.

**A suddenly sat bolt upright on the garden bench. She had been staring absent-mindedly into the hedge — and the hedge was staring back. Two enormous green eyes had appeared among the leaves.**

"Wasn't me," Patrick said raising his hands up in surrender. Rosa rolled her eyes but smiled at him.

"You don't even have green eyes." Of course this didn't make people feel happy. It wasn't like she would be able to defend herself with magic if it was trouble.

**Rosa jumped to her feet just as a jeering voice floated across the lawn.** **"I know what day it is," sang Dudley, waddling toward her.**

Theo sneered when he realized that her cousin was going to taunt her. "Maybe now you can learn the months of the year," Tonks said sarcastically.

**The huge eyes blinked and vanished. "What?" said Rosa, not taking her eyes off the spot where they had been.**

"Good," Mad eye said in approval. "Never take your eyes off of the enemy."

**"I know what day it is," Dudley repeated, coming right up to her.**

**"Well done," said Rosa. "So you've finally learned the days of the week."**

**"Today's your birthday," sneered Dudley. "How come you haven't got any cards? Haven't you even got friends at that freak place?"**

"Or course she has friends!" Ron and Hermione exclaimed. Patrick and Rosa's other friends frowned.

"He knows that we're your friends," Chelo said.

**"Why're you staring at the hedge?" he said suspiciously.**

**"I'm trying to decide what would be the best spell to set it on fire," said Rosa.**

"Funny but probably not the best move pup," Sirius said. "He'll probably tell on you now." Rosa winced. He sure did.

**Dudley stumbled backward at once, a look of panic on his fat face. "You c-can't — Dad told you you're not to do m-magic — he said he'll chuck you out of the house — and you haven't got anywhere else to go — you haven't got any friends to take you — and if he didn't chuck you out, then he'd beat you-"**

Remus, Sirius, and Theo growled at those words. "That's not something you should say to someone," Sirius snarled. Rosa sighed. She knew that they meant well but this had happened years ago and there wasn't exactly anything they could do now.

All they could do now was make sure it didn't happen in the future.

**"Jiggery pokery!" said Rosa in a fierce voice. "Hocus pocus — squiggly wiggly —"**

**"MUUUUUUM!" howled Dudley, tripping over his feet as he dashed back toward the house. "MUUUUM! She's doing you know what!"**

**Rosa paid dearly for her moment of fun.**

Hermione frowned at the book and couldn't help but feel like she wanted to cry. Her friend shouldn't have to pay for being a witch. Draco noticed her distress and grabbed a hold of her hand in comfort.

Startled Hermione glanced down at their intertwined hands but didn't let go.

**As neither Dudley nor the hedge was in any way hurt, Aunt Petunia knew she hadn't really done magic, but she still had to duck as she aimed a heavy blow at her head with the soapy frying pan.**

Sirius was beyond furious in that moment. "Oh wait until I get my hands on them," he snarled. Several people nodded in agreement with his words. The Dursleys were not very loved by the people in this group.

**Then she gave her work to do, with the promise she wouldn't eat again until she'd finished.**

Several of the females in the room were teary eyed at the fact that even eating had become a privilege for her.

**While Dudley lolled around watching and eating ice cream, Rosa cleaned the windows, washed the car, mowed the lawn, trimmed the flowerbeds, pruned and watered the roses, and repainted the garden bench. The sun blazed overhead, burning the back of her neck. Rosa knew she shouldn't have risen to Dudley's bait, but Dudley had said the very thing Rosa had been thinking herself… maybe she didn't have any friends at Hogwarts…**

Ron and Hermione were about to say something but Rosa cut them off. "I know I have the best of friends at Hogwarts," she said. They closed their mouths and smiled at her.

**Wish they could see famous Rosalind Potter now, she thought savagely as she spread manure on the flower beds, as she was doing this chore though her best Muggle friend peaked through the bush. Patrick was his name and he lived right next door to Rosa. As soon as he saw that the coast was clear he came and sat next to her holding a plate of baked goods. **

**"Mum thought you would like these doll," he said. On the plate were two chocolate chip muffins. She stopped what she was doing and quickly ate them before she was caught by Aunt Petunia. "Oh don't forget about coming over tonight. We've got presents." **

**As soon as he appeared he had  
disappeared. It wasn't exactly safe for him to be around when Aunt Petunia was around. Before he left he kissed he cheek. **

**It was half past seven in the evening when at last, exhausted, she heard Aunt Petunia calling her. "Get in here! And walk on the newspaper!"**

Sirius growled. He was beyond pissed that his goddaughter was treated this way. If it was the last thing he did he'd make sure these people were put behind bars like they deserved.

**Rosa moved gladly into the shade of the gleaming kitchen. On top of the fridge stood tonight's pudding: a huge mound of whipped cream and sugared violets. A loin of roast pork was sizzling in the oven.**

**"Eat quickly! The Masons will be here soon!" snapped Aunt Petunia, pointing to two slices of bread and a lump of cheese on the kitchen table. She was already wearing a salmon-pink cocktail dress.**

"They made you eat bread and cheese!?" Theo said. Rosa had to grab his hand again and hold the book one handed. He wasn't the only one livid but the only thing that kept people from being to serious was the fact that Hermione, Ginny, Tonks, Chelo, and LeAnne were laughing about Aunt Petunia wearing a salmon colored dress.

**Rosa washed her hands and bolted down her pitiful supper. The moment she had finished, Aunt Petunia whisked away her plate. "Upstairs! Hurry!"**

More disgusted looks were thrown at the book. "Merlin forbid she be spotted," Ron said. "Then your dirty little secret would be out.

**As she passed the door to the living room, Rosa caught a glimpse of Uncle Vernon and Dudley in bow ties and dinner jackets. She had only just reached the upstairs landing when the doorbell rang and Uncle Vernon's furious face appeared at the foot of the stairs.**

**"Remember, girl — one sound —" If all went to plan Rosa wouldn't even be here to make any noise. She planned on sneaking out to go next door. Rosa crossed to her bedroom on tiptoe slipped inside, closed the door, and turned to collapse on her bed until she would be able to sneak out. The trouble was, there was already someone sitting on it.**

Patrick quickly motioned for the book. He wanted to see why Rosa hadn't been able to make it to his house that night and why the next morning there were bars on her bedroom window.

**"Dobby's warning," he read. **


	3. Dobby's warning

Rosalind Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

**I don't own anything you recognize! **

**Also guys I'm still writing on this story I've just been visiting relatives before school starts and moved into a different house. Its also a different environment so I've had to get use to living with my dads girlfriend and her two younger kids, whom are like 4 and 6 so that's a huge change. **

**I'll try to regulate my updates but school is starting soon and I also have ADD so I have an extremely hard time keeping focus so that's another reason why it takes me a long time to update. **

Chapter Three

Dobby's warning

Not one word was even said as Patrick began to read. They all wanted to see who this invader was.

**Rosa managed not to shout out, but it was a close thing. The little creature on the bed had large, bat-like ears and bulging green eyes the size of tennis balls.**

Sirius gazed curiously at the book wondering why a house elf would be in his goddaughter's room.

**Rosa knew instantly that this was what had been watching her out of the garden hedge that morning.**

A few people let out a relieved breath at this. At least it wasn't something dangerous.

**As they stared at each other, Rosa heard Dudley's voice from the hall. "May I take your coats, Mr. and Mrs. Mason?" The creature slipped off the bed and bowed so low that the end of its long, thin nose touched the carpet. Rosa noticed that it was wearing what looked like an old pillowcase, with rips for arm- and leg-holes.**

Hermione looked at the book in disgust. "That's disgusting," she hissed. "That poor house elf." Even Sirius agreed with her.

"Whoever that elf belongs to must be scum," he said.

**"Rosalind Potter!" said the creature in a high-pitched voice Rosa was sure would carry down the stairs. "So long has Dobby wanted to meet you, miss - Such an honor it is -"**

Remus sent a worried glance over to Rosa. He shouldn't be speaking so loud.

**Th-thank you," said Rosa, edging along the wall and sinking into her desk chair, next to Loki, who was asleep in his large tank. She wanted to ask, "What are you?" but thought it would sound too rude, so instead she said, "Who are you?"**

Molly nodded approvingly at Rosa's actions. At least she was using manners.

**"Dobby, miss. Just Dobby. Dobby the house-elf," said the creature.**

**"Oh - really?" said Rosa. "Er - I don't want to be rude or anything, but - this isn't a great time for me to have a house-elf in my bedroom."**

A sense of foreboding filled the room and Theo shifted closer to Rosa. He had a bad feeling something was going to happen.

**Aunt Petunias high, false laugh sounded from the living room. The elf hung his head.**

"Fake," coughed Tonks. Rosa smirked over at the Auror. She was really starting to like the woman.

**"Not that I'm not pleased to meet you," said Rosa quickly, "but, er, is there any particular reason you're here?"**

"That's what we all want to know," Charlie muttered.

**"Oh, yes, miss," said Dobby earnestly. "Dobby has come to tell you, miss- it is difficult, miss - Dobby wonders where to begin -"**

**"Sit down," said Rosa politely, pointing at the bed.**

Sirius groaned. "Wrong move pup," he said. "It's obvious he's not use to being treated fairly. This is not going to end well." This last part was said in a whisper so that nobody but Remus heard her.

**To her horror, the elf burst into tears - very noisy tears. "S-sit down!" he wailed. "Never - never ever -"**

**Rosa thought she heard the voices downstairs falter. She could feel the panic raise in her veins. **

Theo gripped her hand tightly with his. "Oh he needs to shut up," Tonks said. "Before he gets you killed."

**"I'm sorry," she whispered, "I didn't mean to offend you or anything - "**

**"Offend Dobby!" choked the elf. "Dobby has never been asked to sit down by a wizard - like an equal -"**

'Wouldn't think you would be with masters like your,' Rosa thought bitterly. Draco looked extremely nervous now that he knew this was his family elf.

**Rosa, trying to say "Shh!" and look comforting at the same time, ushered Dobby back onto the bed where he sat hiccoughing, looking like a large and very ugly doll. **

"That's not a very good description," Hermione said. Rosa shrugged.

"No one really has good descriptions it seems in these book," she said.

**At last he managed to control himself, and sat with his great eyes fixed on Rosa in an expression of watery adoration. "You can't have met many decent wizards," said Rosa, trying to cheer him up.**

Draco shot her a look. Rosa raised an eyebrow. "Back then Draco you weren't very decent even you have to admit that," she said. Huffing Draco grudgingly nodded.

**Dobby shook his head. Then, without warning, he leapt up and started banging his head furiously on the window, shouting, "Bad Dobby! Bad Dobby!"**

"Damn it Dobby you're going to get my daughter killed!" Sirius yelped. Rosa looked at him in shock. Happiness built inside of her at the thought that Sirius thought of her as his daughter.

"Why is he doing that?" Hermione asked in a strained voice.

"House elves aren't allowed to talk bad about their masters," Sirius said in the same strained voice. "It's horrible I know but it's the truth."

**"Don't - what are you doing?" Rosa hissed, springing up and pulling Dobby back onto the bed - Loki had woken up with a particularly loud hiss and was now looking between Rosa and the new arrival with narrowed eyes.**

**"Dobby had to punish himself, miss," said the elf, who had gone slightly cross-eyed. "Dobby almost spoke ill of his family, miss-"**

Hermione glared at the book while Draco hung his head. He used to be so mean to that house elf. Now he felt like crap about it.

**"Your family?"**

**"The wizard family Dobby serves, miss- Dobby is a house-elf - bound to serve one house and one family forever -"**

**"Do they know you're here?" asked Rosa curiously.**

"Hardly," Draco muttered too low for anyone to hear.

"He probably found a loop hole," Remus said.

**Dobby shuddered. "Oh, no, miss, no - Dobby will have to punish himself most grievously for coming to see you, miss. Dobby will have to shut his ears in the oven door for this. If they ever knew, miss-"**

Hermione looked completely horrified by this point. Draco took her hand back into his offering her some kind of comfort. Much to his joy she gripped his hand tightly in hers and intertwined their fingers.

**"But won't they notice if you shut your ears in the oven door?"**

**"Dobby doubts it, miss. Dobby is always having to punish himself for something, miss. They lets Dobby get on with it, miss. Sometimes they reminds me to do extra punishments -"**

No one commented but they were all thinking the same thing: whoever owned this house elf was really messed up in the head. Even Sirius who didn't much like house elves would never do that.

**"But why don't you leave? Escape?"**

**"A house-elf must be set free, miss. And the family will never set Dobby free Dobby will serve the family until he dies, miss-"**

Rosa smiled quite smug with herself at what she had done. Draco shook his head remembering his father cursing her for weeks after the ordeal.

No one else was any the wiser of what either was thinking.

**Rosa stared. "And I thought I had it bad staying here for another four weeks," she said.**

Theo's jaw set and his grip on her hand tightened. "You do have it bad," he said angrily. "They have no right treating you like that elf." Sirius and Remus nodded in agreement.

**"This makes the Dursleys sound almost human. Can't anyone help you? Can't I?"**

Sirius groaned. "Sorry pup but there's nothing you can do," he said. Rosa smirked along with Hermione and Ron.

**Almost at once, Rosa wished she hadn't spoken. Dobby dissolved again into wails of gratitude. "Please," Rosa whispered frantically, "please be quiet. If the Dursleys hear anything, if they know you're here -"**

**"Rosalind Potter asks if she can help Dobby - Dobby has heard of your greatness, miss, but of your goodness, Dobby never knew -"**

**Rosa, who was feeling distinctly hot in the face, said, "Whatever you've heard about my greatness is a load of rubbish. I'm not even top of my year at Hogwarts; that's Hermione, she -"**

Hermione smiled at her friend though her cheeks were tinged pink.

**But she stopped quickly, because thinking about Hermione was painful.**

Remus, Sirius, and Theo glared at her at the mention of the fact that she hadn't been writing them. Hermione winced at the thought of bringing her friend pain even if it hadn't been her fault.

** "Rosalind Potter is humble and modest," said Dobby reverently, his orb-like eyes aglow. "Rosalind Potter speaks not of her triumph over He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named -"**

Rosa narrowed her eyes and glared down at the floor. "Who would want to be known for their parent's death." Sirius frowned sadly at her.

**"Voldemort?" said Rosa.**

**Dobby clapped his hands over his bat ears and moaned, "Ah, speak not the name, miss! Speak not the name!"**

**"Sorry," said Rosa quickly. "I know lots of people don't like it. My friend Ron -" She stopped again. Thinking about Ron was painful, too**

Ron frowned. He wished he had gotten there sooner to save her from that place.

**Dobby leaned toward Rosa, his eyes wide as headlights. "Dobby heard tell," he said hoarsely, "that Rosalind Potter met the Dark Lord for a second time just weeks ago - that Rosalind Potter escaped yet again."**

"How would he know that?" Ginny asked.

"His family is probably someone from Hogwarts," Remus said. "Most likely they talked about it in front of him." Draco sighed. They had now that he thought about it.

**Rosa nodded and Dobby's eyes suddenly shone with tears.**

**"Ah, miss," he gasped, dabbing his face with a corner of the grubby pillowcase he was wearing. "Rosalind Potter is valiant and bold! She has braved so many dangers already! But Dobby has come to protect Rosalind Potter, to warn her, even if he does have to shut his ears in the oven door later - Rosalind Potter must not go back to Hogwarts."**

Those that didn't know what happened that year looked outraged. "She can't stay there!" Sirius said. "They'll end up killing her."

**There was a silence broken only by the chink of knives and forks from downstairs and the distant rumble of Uncle Vernon's voice.**

**"W-what?" Rosa stammered. "But I've got to go back - term starts on September first. It's all that's keeping me going. You don't know what it's like here. I don't belong here. I belong in your world - at Hogwarts."**

**"No, no, no," squeaked Dobby, shaking his head so hard his ears flapped. "Rosalind Potter must stay where she is safe. She is too great, too good, to lose. If Rosalind Potter goes back to Hogwarts, she will be in mortal danger."**

Remus and Sirius both of whom hadn't heard about what happened sucked in a breathe. "How is that place safe?" Remus asked.

"What in the hell does he mean about Mortal danger?" Sirius yelped.

**"Why?" said Rosa in surprise.**

**"There is a plot, Rosalind Potter. A plot to make most terrible things happen at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry this year," whispered Dobby, suddenly trembling all over. "Dobby has known it for months, miss.**

**Rosalind Potter must not put herself in peril. She is too important, miss!"**

"True," Theo said. Rosa smiled at him and kissed his cheek.

**"What terrible things?" said Rosa at once. "Who's plotting them?" Dobby made a funny choking noise and then banged his head frantically against the wall.**

Sirius winced at the mention of more sound. How no one had come up yet was amazing.

**"All right!" cried Rosa, grabbing the elf's arm to stop him. "You can't tell me. I understand. But why are you warning me?" A sudden, unpleasant thought struck her. **

Several people glanced at her in worry. What had she thought of that they hadn't?

**"Hang on- this hasn't got anything to do with Vol- sorry- with You-Know-Who, has it? You could just shake or nod," she added hastily as Dobby's head titled worryingly close to the wall again.**

"We don't need him making more noise," Groaned Sirius worried at the thought that her uncle could still come up if Dobby made more noise.

**Slowly, Dobby shook his head. **

"Well at least it doesn't have anything to do with Voldemort," Remus said letting out a relieved breath. Ron, Hermione, Rosa, and Ginny exchanged glances but nobody else noticed.

**"No-not _He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Names, _miss-" But Dobby's eyes were wide and he seemed to be trying to give Rosa a hint. **

"That's not a very good hint," Theo muttered. He didn't seem to be the only one who thought that way.

**Rosa, however, was completely lost. "He hasn't got a brother, has he?"**

"Dear Merlin, I hope not," Charlie said.

"That's one thing we can be thankful for," Bill muttered under his breath.

**Dobby shook his head, his eyes wider than ever. "Well then, I can't think of who else would have a chance of making things happen at Hogwarts," said Rosa. "I mean, there's Dumbledore, for one thing- you know who Dumbledore is, don't you." **

**Dobby bowed his head. **

**"Albus Dumbledore is the greatest headmaster Hogwarts has ever had."**

At this statement Dumbledore smiled slightly and if you could see his cheeks you would have seen a light blush. "I'm honored, to be thought of so highly" he said quietly.

**"Dobby knows it, miss. Dobby has heard Dumbledore's powers rival those of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named at the height of his strength. But, miss"- Dobby's voice dropped to an urgent whisper- "there are powers Dumbledore doesn't… powers no decent wizard…"**

"Sounding more and more like old Voldy," Sirius said grumpily. He wished his pup could have one normal year at Hogwarts without Voldemort ruining everything.

**And before Rosa could stop him, Dobby bounded off the bed, seized Rosa's desk lamp, and started beating himself around the head with earsplitting yelps. **

Everyone in the room winced. If that didn't capture her relative's attention nothing would. Theo grabbed Rosa's hand once again and gripped it tightly. Sirius and Remus from their spots kept glancing back at her in worry.

**A sudden silence fell downstairs. **

Remus groaned and shook his head. Now his cub was in for it.

**Two seconds later Rosa, heart thudding madly, heard Uncle Vernon coming into the hall, calling, "Dudley must have left his television on again, the little tyke!" **

"Hide," hissed the twins as they glanced at their little brothers best friend in worry.

**"Quick! In the closet!" hissed Rosa, stuffing Dobby in, shutting the door, and flinging himself onto the bed just as the door handle turned. **

**"What-the-_devil_-are- you- doing?" said Uncle Vernon through gritted teeth, his face horribly close to Rosa's. "You've just ruined the punch line of my Japanese golfer joke… One more sound and you'll wish you'd never been born, girl!" **

"You better not touch a head on my cub's head," Remus growled out, the wolf dangerously closes to the surface. Sirius nodded his head in agreement with his best friend.

**He stomped flat-footed from the room. **

**Shaking, Rosa let Dobby out of the closet. **

**"See what it's like here?" she said. "See why I've got to go back to Hogwarts? It's the only place I've got- well, I _think_ I've got friends." **

"Of course you've got friends," Hermione said sounding stern. Ron, Luna, Neville, Draco, Blaise, Theo, Ginny, and the twins nodded in agreement.

"I know that now I just hadn't been sure then," Rosa said smiling.

**"Friends who don't even _write_ to Rosa Potter?" said Dobby slyly. **

Both Remus and Sirius grew dangerously angry. "It was him?" they barked.

"So you both hadn't forgotten about her?" Theo said. Both Ron and Hermione shook their heads no, they hadn't forgotten about her. "Well then, I apologize for being mad toward you both."

Grudgingly both Remus and Sirius apologized too.

**"I expect they've just been- wait a minute," said Rosa, frowning. "How do _you_ know my friends haven't been writing to me?"**

"Because he's been taking your mail," Fred said in a matter of fact tone.

"I know that now," Rosa said rolling her eyes playfully at him.

**Dobby shuffled his feet. **

**"Rosalind Potter mustn't be angry with Dobby. Dobby did it for the best-" **

"We have different definitions of for the best," Sirius muttered under his breath.

**_"Have you been stopping my letters?" _**

"Took you long enough," George said in good humor. Rosa rolled her eyes at him like she had done to his twin.

**"Dobby has them here, miss," said the elf. Stepping nimbly out of Rosa's reach, he pulled a thick wad of envelopes from the inside of the pillowcase he was wearing. Rosa could make out Hermione's neat writing, Ron's untidy scrawl, and even a scribble that looked as though it was from the Hogwarts gamekeeper, Hagrid. **

"That was nice of him to send you a letter," Molly said approvingly. Rosa just smiled. Hagrid was a good friend.

**Dobby blinked anxiously up at Rosa. **

**"Rosalind Potter mustn't be angry… Dobby hoped… if Rosalind Potter thought her friends had forgotten her… Rosalind Potter might not want to go back to school, miss…" **

"Didn't seem to be a huge problem for her," Neville said. Rosa shrugged.

"Any place was better than my relatives place," she said. Theo patted her hand and gave her a loving smile.

"It'll be a good thing that you're not going back," Sirius said and gave a pointed look toward Dumbledore that said 'she's not going.'

**Rosa wasn't listening. She made a grab for the letters, but Dobby jumped out of reach. **

"Oh just give her, her letters," Duke said with a shake of his head. "No need to make more trouble for the girl."

Rosa couldn't help but wish Dobby just had. She was fond of the house elf but what happened soon after was something she could have lived without.

**"Rosalind Potter will have them; miss, if she gives Dobby her word that she will not return to Hogwarts." **

Sirius shot a glance at his goddaughter in horror. "He's trying to trick you into making a magical contract." Rosa hadn't known that it was possible to do that at that time and was glad she hadn't given him her word just to make him give her the letters.

**"Ah, miss, this is a danger you must not face! Say you won't go back, miss!" **

**"No," said Rosa angrily. "Give me my friends' letters!" **

"Ah, the Potter temperament," Remus said in amusement. This caused Sirius to smile and shake his head at the memories of James's moments of anger.

**"Then Rosa Potter leaves Dobby no choice," said the elf sadly. Before Rosa could move, Dobby had darted to the bedroom door, pulled it open, and sprinted down the stairs. **

"Oh Merlin, what is he going to go do now?" Charlie asked. No one wanted to see Rosa get in trouble but the way things were going that was a pretty big possibility.

**Mouth dry, stomach lurching, Rosa sprang after him, trying not to make a sound. She jumped the last six steps, landing catlike on the hall carpet, looking around for Dobby. **

McGonagall looked thoughtful at the book. "Perhaps your Animagus is some kind of feline." Rosa looked interested by the statement and began to wonder what animal she would turn into.

**From the dining room she heard Uncle Vernon saying, "… tell Petunia that very funny story about those American plumbers, Mr. Mason. She's been dying to hear…" **

"Oh I just bet she has," snorted Tonks. Rosa smirked knowing that Aunt Petunia wouldn't have been the least bit interested in hearing the joke.

**Rosa ran up the hall into the kitchen and felt her stomach disappear. **

"Should probably get that checked out," snickered Fred.

"Stomachs aren't just supposed to disappear," continued George.

"Oh hardy har har," Rosa said.

**Aunt Petunia's masterpiece of a pudding, the mountain of crème and sugared violets, was floating up near the ceiling. On top of a cupboard in the corner crouched Dobby. **

"Oh dear," said Hermione. "What's he planning on doing?"

"Whatever it is," Ron began. "It won't be bloody good." His mother shot him a disapproving look but was too busy worrying about what was about to happen to chastise him on his foul language.

**"No," croaked Rosa. "Please… they'll kill me…"**

At this Theo stiffened beside her once he realized just how much trouble Rosa would be getting in because of the elf. He pulled her into his arms as he waited for Patrick to continue.

**"Rosalind Potter must say she's not going back to school-" **

"He really is trying to take advantage of your lack of knowledge on magical contracts," Remus said with a frown. Rosa silently added lack of knowledge on a lot of things about the magical world. It was probably a good thing that she was now more educated in stuff like that now.

**"Dobby… please…" **

**"Say it, miss-" **

**"I can't-" **

**Dobby gave her a tragic look. **

**"Then Dobby must do it, miss, for Rosalind Potter's own good." **

**The pudding fell on the floor with a heart-stopping crash. Cream splattered the windows and walls as the dish shattered. With a crack like a whip, Dobby vanished. **

Sirius growled. "Dammit Dobby," he hissed. "Now she's in trouble and he left you to take the fall." He was beginning to like this elf less and less.

**There were screams from the dining room and Uncle Vernon burst into the kitchen to find Rosa, rigid with shock, covered from head to foot in Aunt Petunia's pudding. **

"Oooohh," the twins winced. "That defiantly doesn't look good for you." Everyone wondered what kind of trouble Rosa was going to get in and hoped it wasn't anything too bad. Old punishments flashed across their minds and they winced at the thought of that being what happened to her.

**At first, it looked as though Uncle Vernon would manage to gloss the whole thing over. ("Just our niece- very disturbed- meeting strangers upsets her, so we kept her upstairs…") **

Several people glared at the book at this.

**He shooed the shocked Masons back into the dining room, promised Rosa she would flay her to within an inch of her life when the Masons left, and handed her a mop. **

Sirius's expression softened when he glanced at Rosa. "Tell me he didn't." Rosa couldn't exactly say no. Sure he didn't flay her obviously but he had beaten her pretty good that night. So instead of lying she just didn't say anything.

This made Sirius stand up and pick her up taking her back over to him and Remus. He sat her down on his lap, even if she was getting too old for things like that, and gave her a hug.

"I'm so sorry that I wasn't there pup," he whispered.

"It wasn't your fault Siri," she whispered back into his shoulder. However Sirius couldn't help but still believe it was. If he hadn't talked James and Lily into making Peter their secret keeper or going after Peter none of this would ever have happened.

**Aunt Petunia dug some ice cream from the freezer and Rosa, still shaking, started scrubbing the kitchen clean. She was terrified of what her Uncle would do once the Masons left. **

Sirius held her tighter to his chest and Remus grabbed her hand.

**Uncle Vernon might still have been able to make his deal- if it hadn't been for the owl. **

"Owl?' Sirius asked confused until recognition dawned in his eyes. "Oh they thought you were the one to do magic. Idiots."

**Aunt Petunia was just passing around a box of after-dinner mints when a huge barn owl swooped through the dining room window, dropped a letter on Mrs. Mason's head, and swooped out again. Mrs. Mason screamed like a banshee and ran from the house shouting about lunatics. Mr. Mason stayed just long enough to tell the Dursleys that his wife was mortally afraid of birds of all shapes and sizes, and to ask whether this was their idea of a joke. **

"Nope!" the twins exclaimed. "They don't have humor."

"It just had to be a bird," Remus grumbled. What was on everyone's mind was that this would defiantly cause Rosa more trouble.

**Rosa stood in the kitchen, clutching the mop for support, as Uncle Vernon advanced on her, a demonic glint in his tiny eyes. **

Sirius gripped her tighter and Theo glanced over at her. At that point he wished he could've been there to protect her.

**"Read it!" he hissed evilly, brandishing the letter the owl had delivered. "Go on- read it!" **

**Rosa took it. It did not contain birthday greetings.**

"Would've been preferred," Rosa muttered too low for anyone to hear.

**Dear, Miss. Potter,**

**We have received intelligence that a Hover Charm was used at your place of residence this evening at twelve minutes past nine. **

**As you know, underage wizards are not permitted to perform spells outside school, and further spell work on your part may lead to expulsion from said school (Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery, 1875, Paragraph C.) **

**We would also ask to remember that any magical activity that risks notice by members of the non-magical community (Muggles) is a serious offense under section 13 of the International Confederation of Warlocks' Statute of Secrecy. **

**Enjoy your Holidays!**

Someone snorted, "Like she could after that!"

**You're sincerely, **

**Mafalda Hopkirk**

**Improper Use Of Magic Office**

**_Ministry of Magic_**

**Rosa looked up from the letter and gulped. **

**"You didn't tell us you weren't allowed to use magic outside of school," said Uncle Vernon, a mad gleam dancing in his eyes. "Forgot to mention it… Slipped your mind, I daresay…" **

**He was bearing down on Rosa like a great bulldog, all his teeth bared. **

Mrs. Weasley frowned and glanced over at Rosa. That defiantly wasn't an environment for any child. She couldn't believe she hadn't noticed the signs of an abused child.

**"Well, I've got news for you, girl… I'm locking you up… You're never going back to that school… never… and if you try and magic yourself out- they'll expel you! We'll beat this abomination out of you yet." **

Snape winced at the mention of this. He glanced worriedly over at Rosa as did Dumbledore. However Dumbledore had grown angry at the mention of beating it out of the girl.

**And laughing like a maniac, he dragged Rosa back upstairs and beat her worse than he ever had before. Good enough so that she had trouble moving around. **

Sirius growled and held his pup closer while Remus was trying to hold back the wolf as he tried to surface. Theo glanced over at Rosa with anger in his eyes and all he wanted to do was make her relatives pay for what they did.

"Don't you worry Rosa," Tonks said. "We'll get them behind bars like they deserve."

**Uncle Vernon was as bad as his word. The following morning, he paid a man to fit bars on Rosa's window. **

"Why didn't the guy question the fact

that your uncle wanted bars on your window?" Blaise asked. It didn't make since to him that the man wouldn't find it strange.

"Oh he did," Rosa said. "However Uncle Vernon told him I was a troubled kid who liked to sneak out or run away and get into trouble. It was believable because during the school year everyone thought I had been going to a school for delinquent kids."

"Your aunt and uncle made sure everyone knew," Patrick grumbled.

**He himself fitted a cat- flap in the bedroom door, so that small amounts of food could be pushed inside three times a day. **

There were cried of outrage at this too.

**They let Rosa out to use the bathroom morning and evening. Otherwise, she was locked in her room around the clock. **

**Three days later, the Dursley's were showing no sign of relenting, and Rosa couldn't see any way out of her situation. She silently wondered what Patrick and his parents were thinking when she didn't arrive last night. Surely they were worried once they saw the bars though they wouldn't be able to do anything about it. **

"Of course we were worried," Patrick said.

"Why wouldn't they be able to do anything?" Mr. Weasley asked.

"Because Uncle Vernon would give them the troubled child excuse and voila! Nothing would be done."

**She lay on her bed watching the sun sinking behind the bars on the window and wondered miserably what was going to happen to her. **

**What was the good of magicking herself out of her room if Hogwarts would expel her for doing it? **

"If you would have explained your reasons we wouldn't have expelled your Rosa," McGonagall said with a frown. "That is no environment for a child and we would have gotten you out of there sooner."

She was all for Sirius taking Rosa away from those awful relatives.

**Yet life at Privet Drive had reached an all-time low. Now that the Dursleys knew they weren't going to wake up as fruit bars, she had lost her only weapon. Dobby might have saved Rosa from horrible happenings at Hogwarts, but the way things were going, she'd probably starve to death anyway. **

Snape winced once again at this. Molly looked horrified. "We would have come to get you later that week dear," she said. "We had planned on it if you hadn't answered our letter back."

**The cat-flap rattled and Aunt Petunia's hand appeared, pushing a bowl of canned soup into the room. Rosa, whose insides and outsides were aching with hunger and pain, slowly pulled herself off her bed and seized it. **

At the mention of her wounds Sirius growled low in his throat and buried his head in her hair reminding himself that she was fine and out of harm's way.

**The soup was stone-cold, but she drank half of it in one gulp. Then she slowly crossed the room to Loki's tank and tipped the soggy vegetables at the bottom of the bowl into his empty food tray. He hissed and gave her a look of deep disgust. **

**"I'm not eating this rubbish," he hissed. **

"That's not very healthy for Loki," Hermione said frowning. It wasn't just Rosa's life they were putting in harm's way but also Loki's too.

Everyone glanced over to where the snake was now wrapped around the back of one of the chairs laying asleep.

**"It's no good turning your nose up at it- that's all we've got," said Rosa grimly. **

**She put the empty bowl back on the floor next to the cat-flap and lay back down on the bed, somehow even hungrier than she had been before the soup. **

"It's because you were actually eating something," Snape said. Everyone looked slightly surprised by this but didn't comment. To them Snape had been acting weird since they began reading.

**Supposing she was still alive in another four weeks, what would happen if she didn't turn up at Hogwarts?**

"We would send someone to go check on you," McGonagall said.

**Would someone be sent to see why she hadn't come back? Would they be able to make the Dursleys let her go?**

"That and would have taken you away from them," Remus said.

**The room was growing dark. Exhausted, stomach rumbling, mind spinning over the same unanswered questions, and body hurting, Rosa fell into an uneasy sleep. **

**She dreamed that she was on show in a zoo, with a card reading _underage wizard_ attached to her cage. People goggled through the bars at her as she lay, starving and weak, on a bed of straw. She saw Dobby's face in the crowd and shouted out, asking for help, but Dobby called, "Rosalind Potter is safe there, miss!" and vanished. **

**Then the Dursley's appeared and Dudley rattled the bars of the cage, laughing at her. **

**"Stop it," Rosa muttered as the rattling pounded in her sore head. "Leave me alone… cut it out… I'm trying to sleep…" **

"You have some of the strangest dreams," Ron said. Rosa rolled her eyes at him and Sirius finally allowed her to go sit back by Theo, who then wrapped an arm securely around her waist.

**She opened her eyes. Moonlight was shining through the bars on the window. And someone _was_ goggling through the bars at her; a freckled-faced, red-headed, long-nosed someone. **

"Oi!" Ron yelled. Everyone chuckled and shook their heads at him.

**Ron Weasley was outside Rosa's window. **

"What were you doing outside her window?" Sirius asked curiously.

"We had gone to bust her out," Ron said simply. Sirius nodded and Patrick handed the book to Draco who took it.

He cleared his throat to capture everyone's attention. **"Chapter Three: The Burrow." **


End file.
